This invention relates to a signaling device adapted for use on mailboxes, and especially rural mailboxes, for indicating from a distance when the mailbox door has been opened which is typically when the mailman has arrived to deliver or pick up mail. The signal, therefore, prevents unnecessary trips to the mailbox before arrival of the mailman.
Mailbox signals of varying types and arrangements are well known. Although many prior constructions have been offered and even patented, it is the rare signaling device which incorporates the combined features of reliable signaling, coupled with durable yet simple and inexpensive construction. A basic object is, therefore, to provide reliable signaling especially where the signal has a high visibility and can easily be seen to determine whether the signal has been moved. In many prior signals, the structure has been so complex that such reliable signaling cannot be assured. Also, many of these structures have been susceptible to the effects of weather and have had short life spans or have required frequent repair or even replacement.
It is often the case that rural mailboxes are secured together in closely adjacent spaces next to one another to provide centralized delivery. In such instances, it is a particular requirement that the signal operates successfully upon each opening of the door to the mailbox in a manner which does not affect the operation of adjacent signals. That is, the signal must operate without causing or triggering the premature release of adjacent signals.
The purpose of the present invention is, therefore, to overcome the above problems and provide a reliable, simple and yet inexpensive signal device which is highly visible when installed on a rural mailbox and therefore is easily viewed for an indication of the opening of the door. Further, the present invention successfully operates each time the door is opened and does not affect or trigger adjacent mailbox signals should the mailbox including the signal be secured in close relationship to another.